Film flame stop



Oct. 13, 1931; L. D. KOHLMEYER 1,827,010

FILM FLAME STOP Filed Aug. 29, 1929 071 20 fo/f la wrence D. Ao/7/meyer:

Patented Oct. 13, 193i UNITED STATES LAWRENCE D. KOHLMEYER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA FILM FLAME sror Application filed August 29, 1929. Serial No. 389,271.

This invention relates to means for preventing the communication of fire from one compartment to another in a moving picture projecting machine due to the burning of 6 the film. I

The principal object of the invention is to provide means that will arrest the travel of the flame along a strip of film automatically so as to prevent a more serious fire should 1 a major portion of the film become ignited.

Another object resides in providing such a fire arresting device that may not interfere with the free passage of the film through the machine and that may be easily threaded when new film is to be employed. 7

These and other objects will become apparent in the following description of the invention as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation in fragmentary form of the reel housing of a projecting machine;

Fig. 2, a top plan View of the fire arresting device;

' Fig. 3, a side elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a vertical section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, an n per reel 10 is shown as having a strip of 1m 11 leading downwardly therefrom across the compartment 12 and on to the reel 13. Both the reels 10 and 13 are enclosed in fire proof housings so that the only exposed length of film is that which is carried across the compartment 12 and into which a beam from a source of light (not shown) is passed through the film 11 in order to project the picture in the usual and well known manner.

The greatest risk of igniting the film comes when that portion of the film is carried across the compartment 12 so that it is desirable to prevent the flame from an ignited film therein from. passing either upwardly or downwardly into either of the housings about the reel of film that may be contained therein.

'In order to prevent the passage of fire. from this centralcompa'rtmentI provide an unique structure which is described as fol} lows. I'form aframe 14 substantially rectangular in shape with a horizontal attachframe14. These two rollers 16, 17 are set to one side of the center of the frame l4.

A second air of rollers 19, 20 are carried within the lame '14 parallel to the rollers 16, 17,but instead'of being carried on fixed axes, each roller 19 and 20 isseparately carried between the arms ofa U-shaped frame 21. Each of the frames 21 is pivotally secured in the frame 14 by means of a rod 22 passed therea-crossthrough thelegsncar the lower edge and adjacent'to the web of the members21, see Fig. 4. These rods 22 are fixed by their ends inthe frame 14 and permit the frames 21 to rock therearound where by the rollers 19,20 may normally drop by gravity into contact respectively with the rollers 16 and 17.

All of the rollers 16, 17, 19 and 20 are slightly recessed across their central portions so that when the film 11 is passed therebetween, the film is contacted only alon its outer edges so as to prevent scratching o the central portion of the film. The film 11 is threaded through between the rollers, Fig. 4, by inserting the film through a slot 24 vertically across the end of the frame 14 at the ends of the rollers and pulling the film up wardly slightly so as to cause the rollers 19, 20 to be rocked upwardly sufliciently tolet the film 11 pass between those rollers and the rollers 16, 17

Now should the film become ignited after the film is drawn through between the rollers, the flame following the film is immediately stopped by reason of the rollers 19, 20 pressing against the softened film and compressing it against the rollers 16, :17, or should the film be entirely severed, by the rollers 19, 20 dropping down into contact with the rollers 16, 17 as the end of the film passes thereacross so as to effectively bar the passage of a flame Vhile I have here shown and described my invention in the one best form as now known to me, it is obvious that structural changes may be made in that form without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that form, nor any more than may be required by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A frame having a vertical passageway therethrough, pair of rollers carried on fixed axes in said passageway, a second pair of rollers, a pair of frames each separatin and rockably secured to said frame in sai passageway and rotatably carrying said second rollers, said pair of frames being mounted in said first frame to permit said second rollers to swing downwardly by gravity toward and be stopped tangentially against said first rollers.

2. A frame having a vertical passageway therethrough, a pair of rollers carried on fixed axes in said passageway, 21 second pair of rollers, a separate frame for each one of the last pair of rollers, each rockably secured to said first frame in said passageway and rotatably carrying said second rollers, said separate frames being mounted in said first frame to permit said second rollers to swing downwardly by gravity independently of each other toward and be stopped tangentially against said first rollers, said first frame having a film entry slot through one side substantially in a plane tangential to said first rollersL In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LQUVRENCE D. KOHLh IEYER. 

